


Truth Serum

by viajeramyra



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, And I'm going to keep giving it to him until the show does, Drunken Confessions, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Palermo deserves happiness, Pining, Truth or Dare, soft content, soft fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23181748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viajeramyra/pseuds/viajeramyra
Summary: Tequila has a way of getting secrets out of people....
Relationships: Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa/Palermo | Martín
Comments: 7
Kudos: 190





	Truth Serum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ironccap](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironccap/gifts).



> So, this was just a little fun one at the request of one of my gc children. I have very bad self-control. You give me a prompt, I'll eventually get around to writing it. I do apologize if this one isn't my highest quality work. I've been falling asleep writing it...but wanted to get it done before my dental surgery! 
> 
> Anyway! Here's a really soft fic. College AU Berlermo.

It was just another Friday night, books spread across the table he shared with Sergio in the library. It was a standing arrangement between them, and made them mentally capable of turning down whatever Andrés and Raquel suggested on that first, warm spring night. It wasn’t that Andrés and Raquel were lazy in their studies by any means, but they both looked for active social lives outside of their academics. Martín and Sergio were often too busy, trying to maintain their top spots, constantly trying to outdo each other. Their respective engineering and statistics degrees had a few overlapping classes, and they often found themselves competing for the top grades. 

Martín twisted his pencil between his fingers, staring intently at problem number five of their assignment. He could normally do that sort of problem in his sleep, but the vibrations from his phone in his pocket kept attempting to distract him. He didn’t need to look at the messages to know that it was Andrés, desperately trying to get him to come join the party he had started in their shared dorm room. He definitely didn’t want to be around all of those people right now, or the mess they’d make out of the small space. 

But, his curiosity got the best of him, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, just enough to see the latest message: 

‘ _ My engineer. :( You’re ignoring me, I see. I’d be far less lonely, if you were here.’  _

He smiled, his cheek flushing pink at the message. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, opting to skip the problem and try to figure out the next one. He certainly wasn’t thinking of Andrés' bright smile, the way his laugh was the favorite noise Martín had ever heard. 

From the other end of the table, Sergio cleared his throat, looking at Martín. He tapped on his edition of their textbook sitting in front of him, trying to get Martín's attention on the work once more. “You’re going to make it too easy for me, if you keep letting Andrés distract you,” he said, smiling as he flipped the page. 

“Andrés doesn’t distract me,” Martín replied, defensively. He was certain that there were plenty of other ways Raquel managed to take Sergio’s attention off his coursework. He shuddered, quickly shaking the thought. He supposed as far as women went, Raquel was definitely the best of the bunch. He just never had any interest in thinking about any woman for very long. 

“Sure,” Sergio said with a nod, as he fixed his glasses firmly on his nose. “I’m younger than you and going to do better than you in this class.” Martín huffed at the challenge, throwing himself back into their mutual silence as they continued to work. He was grateful for the reminder of their competition, knowing that it would be far too easy for his mind to run off thinking about Andrés. 

The sun started to set through the oval windows throughout the library. Neither really noticed as the sky had turned from the mixture of colors at sunset, to an almost pitch black that automatically switched on the lights in the room. They simply continued to move from assignment to assignment, flipping through the pages. 

“Ah, my two favorite nerds,” Andrés' loud voice called throughout the library. Raquel walked next to him, rolling her eyes as he stretched his arms open wide, gesturing to the scene in front of them. “Surely you’ve studied enough for one evening, put the books away for the night.” 

Andrés moved to stand behind Martín, gently placing his hands around Martín's shoulders. He gently squeezed them, before they slowly fell down Martín's arms. The breath caught in his throat, as he bit down on his tongue. He knew Andrés didn’t know the things having him so close did to him, but he couldn’t help how he responded either. He had tried for the last three years to work through these feelings, but they never went anywhere. No matter how many girlfriends Andrés had, Martín kept uselessly pining for him. 

“Andrés is right, there is such a thing as too much studying,” Raquel added, as she gently kissed Sergio’s cheek. “We only have a few weeks left before graduation, come to the party.” 

“Nairobi just got out the tequila.” Andrés pulled the pencil out from between Martín's fingers, forcing him to turn around and look at him. It was infuriating how nice Andrés always insisted on dressing. His black blazer classied up the simple blue, collared shirt, making him look five years older than he actually was. “No more studying, I forbid it.” 

Martín chuckled, shaking his head as he tried to grab the pencil back from Andrés, who in turn held it over his head. “You’re not the boss of me, Andrés,” he argued, smiling at his friend. He knew this was a losing battle before it had even begun, but there was no harm in trying to put his foot down. It hadn’t taken him long to learn that if Andrés truly wanted something, he’d go out of his way to make sure he got it. That often meant taking Martín out far too late on a school night, but he knew he couldn’t say no even if he’d actually wanted to. 

Andrés put the pencil in the inner pocket of his blazer, shaking his head in response. “You can have this back when you’ve listened and come to enjoy yourself for a few hours. You’re already the smartest man I know, you’ll be fine if you come to the party and study again tomorrow.” 

Sergio cleared his throat, his eyes trained on the ceiling. Raquel had her face covered behind her hand, as if she were trying to hold in a laugh and a hint of something else. “I think you mean second smartest,” he chided, as he closed the book in front of him. 

“Yes, yes, hermanito, I didn’t mean to insult you,” Andrés said, raising his hands as if to show his innocence. “I’m only trying to get Martín to come back to the party with me. It’s boring without him.” 

Martín thought he heard Sergio grumble something under his breath, and  _ definitely _ saw the slight roll of his eyes. The two quickly gathered up their belongings into their laptop bags, putting the books back on the nearby cart. Andrés kept his arm thrown around Martín's shoulder, and he fought against the urge to lean into him. He was just Andrés' friend, and that was enough for him, even if he was always going to want there to be more. 

They entered the party, Sergio and Raquel only a few steps behind them. Andrés grabbed the nearest bottle of tequila, quickly pouring a shot for Martín. “You’re quite a few behind, you’ll need to get caught up quickly,” he said with a smile, before pouring one for himself. 

Oh, to be that glass against Andrés' lips. 

He quickly swallowed it down, trying not to let the burn get to him too much. He wasn’t sure how Andrés threw it back without a lime, but he was willing to rise to the challenge and do so himself. 

“We were just getting to playing truth or dare,” Nairobi said, the rest of their friends already gathered in a small circle in the middle of the room. 

“A child’s game, Nairobi? I thought you would’ve come up with something better,” Andrés replied, sinking to sit in the circle regardless. He tapped his finger against his chin, before a smirk spread across his face. “If you pick truth, you have to take a shot. Dare, and you pick someone else to take a shot.” 

“You’re just trying to get everyone drunk,” Helsinki laughed, as he crushed his beer can in his large hand, before chucking it into the garbage can. 

Andrés simply shrugged his shoulders, reaching to pull Martín by the wrist to sit next to him in the circle. “I’ll go first. Tokyo, truth or dare.” 

“Dare,” she smirked in response. She was never one to back down to a challenge, even though that usually meant she and Andrés butted heads more often than not. 

“I dare you to say something nice about me,” he chuckled, leaning back against his bed. Martín laughed, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he realized just how loud he had been. Everyone’s eyes were on him, knowing that it truly hadn’t been that funny. But Andrés just tapped his wrist, and gave him a reassuring smile. 

“I think you have good taste in friends,” Tokyo replied, smiling proudly as Andrés' expression turned sour. “Martín, shot,” she added, with a snap of her fingers. 

He obliged, this time his lip curling slightly as the tequila hit the back of his throat. He coughed, Andrés gently patting him on the back. “Easy, you can get a lime,” he teased, motioning his head in the direction of the drink station he’d set up on their shared desk. 

“Right, my turn,” Tokyo said with a smile, as she tapped her fingers on her dark beer bottle. “Professor, truth or dare.” 

Sergio groaned, trying to shrink further back where he was sitting with Raquel. Though his arms were lovingly wrapped around his girlfriend, it was obvious to everyone in the room that he’d much rather be holed up in the library. “Dare, I suppose,” he finally grumbled. 

“I dare you to throw your notebook out the window.” 

“Absolutely not,” he replied, as he grabbed his bag from behind him and held it closely to his chest. “We have exams soon,” he added, definitely. 

“Don’t be a coward, Sergio,” Martín snickered, smiling at his friend. Sergio slowly rose to his feet, each step slower than the next as he made his way to the window behind Andrés' bed. Sighing heavily, he opened the hatch and closed his eyes tightly as he threw the thick, spiral notebook out onto the grass. He seemed to be attempting to carefully calculate a good angle that would keep any of the extra pages he had shoved in-between the bound ones from falling out. 

“I’ll be right back,” he added quickly, as he rushed out of the room towards the stairs. “Martín, shot,” he called from over his shoulder. 

This time, Martín carefully sipped at the honey-yellow liquid. His vision was starting to blur already, knowing very well that he couldn’t hold his strong liquors. For the past three years, Andrés had tried to no avail to strengthen his friends ability to keep with him on a night out. Usually they stumbled back to the dorm far earlier than Andrés wanted, but never with much of a complaint from him. 

“While he picks up his book, I’ll take his turn,” Raquel said, with a smile. “Denver, truth or dare?” 

The game continued, making rounds as each of them alternated between the two options. Martín found he barely had a break from taking a shot, seeming to be the victim of the night each time someone got to delegate who was responsible for taking a drink. His vision was hazy, his mind starting to drift. He was certain he could slump against the bed, and fall asleep then and there. 

That was until he heard Nairobi call his name. He snapped back into the moment, sitting up straight. “Yes,” he mumbled, sleepily. 

“Truth or dare?” 

“Dare.” 

She leaned forward, her lips pressed together tightly as she tried to hold in her giggle. It was obvious just about everyone in the room was probably about as drunk as he felt, and he prepared himself for some ridiculous task. 

“I dare you to tell Andrés what you really think of him.” 

Martín blinked in response, the words forming quickly at the forefront of his mind. If the alcohol hadn’t taken his ability to make good decisions, he would’ve taken more than five seconds to come up with a response. He turned his head to the side, as he looked Andrés in the eye. “I’m in love with you,” he whispered. 

The weight of his words came crashing down on him the moment they left his mouth. The fact that he had just said them, so candidly in front of all their friends, sent panic coursing through his body. He felt his breathing become increasingly labored, as he shot to his feet quickly. Andrés simply stayed where he was, looking up at Martín with a look of confusion on his face. How could he be so stupid? He’d kept that secret to himself, under large amounts of alcohol and in softer moments shared just between the two of them. 

Without another word, he quickly ran for the door, slamming it behind him as hard as he could. He ran towards the stairs, surprised at how quickly he seemed to be moving. His face still felt warm, and could feel the damp trail of tears start to soak his cheeks. He’d probably just ruined the best friendship he’d ever had. He’d be forced to find somewhere else to live, with only a few months left of their final term. They probably wouldn’t speak before graduation, and then he would never see Andrés again afterwards. 

He wanted to fall into a hole and die. 

Instead, he opted for sitting against a tree on the other side of their apartment building. At least he could be out of view from the bedroom window. He grabbed hold of the back of the wooden bench, using his hands to guide the rest of him to sit down. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward as his head fell into his hands. He grabbed at his hair, knowing that it would relax the gel in his hair and make the soft curls form. He didn’t care. It didn’t matter what he looked like, or what he did to deal with the weight of what had just happened. 

Andrés knew, and there was no going back. 

Without the warmth of the sun, Martín shivered in the cold of the soft spring breeze. He pulled at the sleeves of his turtleneck, trying to keep his hands warm. He’d stay out there all night if he had to, he didn’t want to go back upstairs and face Andrés. 

He was certain hours could’ve passed by, but when he glanced down at his watch it had only been about ten minutes into the embarrassment that would last the rest of his life. He wanted to start crying again, but forced himself to maintain some dignity. Until, he felt the warmth of a jacket draped around his shoulders, someone moving to sit down next to him on the bench. 

“Did you mean it?” Andrés asked, keeping himself huddled on the other side of the bench. Martín's head sunk further into his hands, not wanting to take advantage of his last few minutes getting to look at his friend just yet. He simply let out a frustrated groan, rocking back and forth with the breeze. “Martín, did you mean it when you said you’re in love with me?” He asked again. This time his words were more demanding. 

“Of course I do. And I know better than to think you’d ever feel that way about me, so I don’t need you to give me some speech about how we are better off as friends, only for you to turn around and ignore me for the rest of the year. I don’t need your pity, Andrés.” 

Andrés huffed, turning to face him with his arms crossed over his chest. “Martín that’s not fair.” 

“I don’t see how this isn’t fair for you. You’re not losing your best friend because you fell in love with him. You’re not the one who embarrassed yourself in front of all your friends. Fucking Nairobi,” he grumbled under his breath. “She knew what she was doing, she knew that I wouldn’t be able to control whatever I said. And now I’ve fucked everything up. You don’t have to tell me that, because I already know.” 

“Martín,” Andrés said, as he moved closer to him on the bench. He reached out, locking his hands around Martín's tightly. “It’s not fair for you to assume I don’t have feelings for you, too.” 

“Don’t screw with me to protect my feelings.” He tried to sound angrier than he actually was, as he looked up sadly at Andrés. The pathetic truth was if Andrés wanted to lead him on, to manipulate the situation to his advantage, Martín knew he wouldn’t be able to stop him. He wanted any of the attention Andrés was willing to give him, even if it cut him up on inside. 

“Martín, have I ever lied to you?” Andrés asked, moving to wrap his arm around Martín's shoulders. He gently pulled his friend into his arms, holding him carefully against his chest. His right hand gently drew small circle’s on Martín's back, as the other wrapped around his waist. 

Martín scoffed, as his body naturally curled further against Andrés' chest. “Yeah, right. What happened to never lying to me?” His hands selfishly curled around Andrés' arm, not wanting to move from that warm embrace. At that moment, he didn’t care how pathetic and clingy he looked. He’d wanted to be held by Andrés like this for far too long, and the waning effect on the alcohol kept his better inhibitions at bay. 

“Martín, you’re an engineering genius. You’re top of your class. You’re a  _ good  _ person. You actually like to be around me, when all of my girlfriends have broken up with me for being an asshole,” he continued, resting his chin on top of Martín's head. 

“I’ve been in love with you so long, Andrés,” he whispered, the weight of it falling off his shoulders. 

Andrés chuckled gently, moving his head to gently place a kiss against Martín's temple. He felt him shudder against him in the cold, and slowly started to get him to his feet. “I love you too, mi amor.” He lovingly placed his hands on either side of Martín's face, kissing Martín's forehead. “We can continue this conversation tomorrow. We need to get you to bed.” 

Andrés kept his arm wrapped around Martín's shoulders as the pair started to head towards their now empty room. Though Andrés had made sure to guide Martín into his own bed, he had latched onto him regardless. He heard Andrés chuckle, but otherwise gave no complaint to falling into bed with Martín. His head rested on Andrés' chest, as Andrés' fingers combed gently through his hair. “Next time, I’ll give you a little truth serum a lot sooner,” Andrés teased. Martín simply grinned against him, still holding tightly as he drifted off to sleep. 

And when daylight broke the next morning, unlike the way so many dreams had ended before, Martín woke pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed to still be in Andrés' arms. 


End file.
